The 9 Most Common Phone Interview Questions — And How to Crush Them

By Emily Liou

Woohoo! You just received an email notification requesting your available time slots for a phone interview to discuss that open position for which you'd applied. As you grin at the email, you can’t contain your excitement. You’re determined to bring your A game to the job interview and make the best impression possible.

So how do you do that? With preparation, you can readily anticipate some specific questions and feel confident that you’ll be snagging an invitation for the next round of interviews. That in-person interview will be a piece of cake once this phone call goes well.

Before you can knock your phone interview out of the park, it’s important to understand the objective of the phone interview. This stage in the interview process is exploratory for both parties to determine if there is a mutual fit. Typically, the interviewer is trying to assess the following:

The following open-ended questions are effective in gauging these different areas and often expected to show up at some point in the interview process. Based on your answers, recruiters can then evaluate and make recommendations on how to proceed with your application. So, here are the nine most common phone interview questions, and the best answers for each of them.

This question is so important because it really sets the tone for the rest of the interview and gives you an opportunity to speak highly of yourself. A lot of candidates make the mistake of diving into their life story from when they were born. Many others make the mistake of reading everything written on their résumé. Keep in mind that the recruiter has already seen your résumé; they want you to take this valuable time to explain between the lines. You can do this by helping them understand the “why?” and the details you left off your résumé.

Why did you choose your major? Why did you leave your positions? Why did that position expand your skills? Why did you enjoy working for that company? Why are you the best candidate for this position?

To effectively answer this question, you must know what role you’re applying to and understand what the interviewer is seeking. Does their job description call for someone who is a leader and great at delivering presentations? Make sure you highlight these skills somewhere in your answer, whether you demonstrated that in school or in your current position. Are they seeking someone who pays close attention to detail and is flexible? Demonstrate this in your answers as you walk through your previous positions.

Once you know what the interviewer is requesting, you can make sure to inject relevant examples throughout your history.

2. "What interested you about this company?"

It’s important to be able to show your preparedness level by demonstrating that you have conducted research about the company. A prospective employer wants to know you’re not just applying to every company that pops up on the job boards. Rather, they want to know you truly believe in what they do or sell, and you’d want nothing more than to be a part of their growth.

A really great question to ask yourself is, in your own words, what does the company do or sell? You should have completed comprehensive research ahead of time by reviewing any press releases or articles about the company in the news. Your research should be the function for which you’re interviewing. For instance, if you’re applying for an accounting position, conduct research on their revenue models or understand who their competitors are. If you’re applying for a marketing position, understand what media platforms they use and what their current marketing strategy looks like. If you’re applying for a legal position, understand what legal involvements they have or have had.

Your goal is to do as much research to paint a picture of why your position is a critical one at the company. If you do this research, you’ll be able to impress your interviewer with information beyond what is found on their homepage.

3. "Why are you looking to leave your current position?"

Employers want to understand your motives. Employers also never want to hear you complain — regardless of how terrible your current situation might be. A great way to flip this question is to talk about what excited you when you saw this position. For instance, you might answer, “While I enjoy my current position, this opening really caught my eye because I saw you are looking for someone to plan events. I organized an event with 300 guests at my last company, from concept to tear down, and it was one of my favorite projects I’ve taken on. I’m really interested in a position that will allow me to communicate more with others and utilize creative event planning skills.”

While there are probably many reasons why you want to leave your current position including poor management, lack of leadership, a glass ceiling, low pay, long commute, etc., your answer is much more effective when you can tell a hiring manager why you’re excited about the new role instead of annoyed about the current one.

4. "What interested you about this specific position?"

Similar to the question above, you’ll want to share with your interviewer that you not only understand what the role entails but that it’s also 100 percent aligned with what you’re seeking. What about the position matches your skills, talents and strengths? As you read through the description, what parts of it excited you the most? What can you immediately contribute and what kind of impact do you want to make in that area?

Showing your enthusiasm for a company and a position is really important because employers don’t want to hire someone who is on the fence. Nothing is more expensive than hiring someone, training them and having to replace them. Employers will feel much more confident extending an offer knowing you really want to fill the position.

5. "Why did you leave?" Or "What were you doing during these periods (gaps in employment)?"

If you have several gaps in employment or have held multiple jobs for less than 2 years each, be ready to explain your reasons for leaving. While employers do consider “job hoppers” a flight-risk, this is your chance to help them connect the dots of why you left each position. Most employers are reasonable, so if you have compelling explanations such as mass layoffs, restructure, moving, shorter commute, completing a contract assignment, etc., then your answers are accepted at face value.

If you have had a series of involuntary resignations, you might want to spend more time here crafting a thoughtful response. What did you learn from the experience? How did you grow from the position? An example might be, “I was originally hired as a Sales Associate at Company 1. While I enjoyed the company, I learned that my strengths and interests were geared more towards analytical roles. That’s why I accepted the Marketing Associate position with Company 2. In that role...”

There’s a way to focus on and emphasize the positive in every situation. Practice your answers aloud so you feel confident and are concise in your delivery.

6. "What did you enjoy the most in your previous positions?"

This is a great question for interviewers to determine if there is a match in your skills and personality. When you conduct an analysis of the job description, think about what soft skills and technical skills you’ll be exercising daily in the new position. Of those skills listed, which skills and traits did you genuinely enjoy the most?

Once you have that locked in, think about where in the past you’ve used those skills and what accomplishments or results were gained because of them. Illustrating how you effectively used skills to yield positive results is a powerful way to answer any interview question.

7. "What did you enjoy the least in your previous positions?"

Employers want to know that you’re going to be eager to do what the job entails. If you say you hate cold calling and your job has a lot of sales involvement, that could be problematic. When you answer this question, make sure you refrain from stating any of the skills and traits required in the job description.

Since this question has a negative connotation, you should follow up your answer on a positive note. For example, “At Acme, I learned my predecessor was let go because she did not have strong attention to detail. I needed to update a year’s worth of files as everything was disorganized and it took hours to find a document. However, after dedicating extra hours each week to the filing system, I was able to not only get everything up to date, but I devised a systematic way to find files within seconds. I learned I enjoy making order out of chaos.”

Companies want to know you are ambitious, but that the position you are applying for makes sense with your bigger goals. I’ve had a lot of candidates answer with, “I think I’d like to be a manager” or “I’m not sure, but I think it will still be in this field.”

A stronger approach to this question is thinking about how the position will help you towards your long-term goals. If you can demonstrate that you’re excited about the position because it aligns with the areas you want to strengthen, you’re on the right track! For example, you can say, “While the future can be unpredictable, I am confident in my passion for marketing. I would like to become an expert in the field and build as much experience and gain exposure in the digital ad space. I believe this position is aligned with my long-term vision and I’d be delighted to apply my experience and knowledge to help the company’s marketing efforts.”

I would recommend tabling this discussion until you have a verbal offer on the table. You don’t want to low ball yourself and the company can’t possibly know what your value is within a 30-minute conversation. While salary negotiation is an art, the best answer is to deflect. A politically correct way to answer is, “At this time, I’d like to learn more about what the position entails before determining any salary range. Salary isn’t the number one priority for me, and I also would consider the total compensation package before being able to determine a specific number.”

If you can master these nine questions and remember to show your enthusiasm, knowledge, skills, preparedness, communication style and overall phone interview etiquette, you’re ready to hopefully move on to the next face-to-face interview! Finally, don’t forget to smile, studies have proven that a smile can shift your attitude and your tone, thus raising your energy and enthusiasm even if they can’t see you physically. Good luck!

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Emily Liou is the founder of CultiVitae, where she teaches, coaches, and advises thousands of ambitious corporate professionals seeking career transitions. As a former recruiter and human resources professional, Emily has the inside scoop on what companies are looking for. Her passion is in the area of personal and professional development and believes everyone has the ability to cultivate their lives. When not reading books and blogging, Emily is often found exploring $ or $$ restaurants in Los Angeles or rock climbing.

I think I'm being mommy-tracked at work and it's incredibly frustrating. I'm two months back from maternity leave and putting in the same hours as I used to but I'm getting these subtle signs that I'm not taken as seriously -- ranging from not being asked about wanting to spearhead things to the stink eye when I walk out the door (at the same time I roughly used to leave the office). What should I do?

What to do if you face a step down in your career due to the break you took of 6 months to take care of your newborn? Does this happen frequently? Any ideas on how to get a job after this break? Please help! I was working as a Sales Manager in a company where I had to quit as I needed to give sometime to my baby. Now when I'm trying to start working again, I don't get even considered due to the break I took. The HR in these companies advice me to step down in the position and start from senior sales associate or reception. I do have good experience being good at my job and my previous employer have everything good to say about me. What should I do?

Hi Fairygodbosses! I am writing here on behalf of my mom because I love and want the best for her. She has been working at a non-profit for the last 9 years and has become miserable at work. She wants a career change but doesn't know what she wants to do or how to get there. She is only now making the salary she should be making at 58 years old and I think that holds her back from taking a chance and leaving her company. Do any fairy godbosses here have some advice or resources for a middle-aged woman looking for a career change (and feels like a life change)? How can my mom build her confidence and self-worth to go after what truly makes her happy (or at least start trying to figure it out?) Appreciate any of your thoughts.

I think I'm being mommy-tracked at work and it's incredibly frustrating. I'm two months back from maternity leave and putting in the same hours as I used to but I'm getting these subtle signs that I'm not taken as seriously -- ranging from not being asked about wanting to spearhead things to the stink eye when I walk out the door (at the same time I roughly used to leave the office). What should I do?

What to do if you face a step down in your career due to the break you took of 6 months to take care of your newborn? Does this happen frequently? Any ideas on how to get a job after this break? Please help! I was working as a Sales Manager in a company where I had to quit as I needed to give sometime to my baby. Now when I'm trying to start working again, I don't get even considered due to the break I took. The HR in these companies advice me to step down in the position and start from senior sales associate or reception. I do have good experience being good at my job and my previous employer have everything good to say about me. What should I do?

Hi Fairygodbosses! I am writing here on behalf of my mom because I love and want the best for her. She has been working at a non-profit for the last 9 years and has become miserable at work. She wants a career change but doesn't know what she wants to do or how to get there. She is only now making the salary she should be making at 58 years old and I think that holds her back from taking a chance and leaving her company. Do any fairy godbosses here have some advice or resources for a middle-aged woman looking for a career change (and feels like a life change)? How can my mom build her confidence and self-worth to go after what truly makes her happy (or at least start trying to figure it out?) Appreciate any of your thoughts.